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Seven
Kinley |towns cities= Kinley, Novosevensk |islands=Adlibitan Island, American Island, Bird Island, British Island, Libertan Island, Love Island and Philosopher's Island |nicknames=Island State |hexacode=SE-01-01 |situationmap= |statemap= }} The State of Seven (Pennsylvanian GermanA regional language of the State, spoken locally in Amish Kinley.: Seefeneich, RussianAs above, spoken locally in Novosevensk.: Севен) is one of the states of the Kingdom of Lovia. As the name suggests, there are seven islands that make up the archipelago which forms Seven. The state capital of Seven is located in Kinley. Seven has two national parks, the Bird National Park and the Mellon Wetlands National Park. These, along with other notable sites, attract large numbers of tourists. The tourism industry is an important part of the economy of the state, which also includes farming, fishing, and other industries. Etymology and pronunciation Until 1905, Seven was simply referred to, together with Clymene, as the 'Northern Isles.' The earliest mention of the name Seven is in fact in the Royal Declaration that established the states, causing a significant amount of debate as to the origin of the name. The folk etymology, which most linguists agree with, is that it comes from the fact that the archipelago consists of seven islands; it is not known, however, whether this name was in common usage in Lovia before the Declaration or whether it was essentially invented in Noble City. In the past few years, Boris Hartman has proposed a new theory of the origin of the name. According to him, the name derives from that used by the first Russian settlers, северные острова (IPA: ˈsʲevʲɪrnɨje astrəˈva), meaning Northern Islands. Hartman suggests that this name was later mispronounced and shortened by Anglophone settlers to Seven, and the etymology suggested above is false. A key weakness in this theory is that no direct evidence exists that early Russian settlers used the term северные острова, but Hartman argues that the alleged calquing of the term to the English 'Northern Islands' is indirect evidence for its existence. Another weakness is that the term "Seven" excludes Truth Island and Asian Island, which are also Northern Islands. Lovian linguist Oos Wes Ilava, also famous as the current prime minister, commented, 'If you combine the two theories it would make a lot of sense.' According to him, the word Seven probably does originate from Russian, but originally referred to the whole of both Seven and Clymene. Later, the inhabitants made the connection between the name and the number and began to use the name to refer only to the eastern part of the Nation Archipelago, which contained seven islands. Seal and flag Both the seal and the flag show the map of Seven, highlighted in a blue color. They are both in use since 1904, with some minor changes in design in 1913, 1944, 1956, and 1967. In 2012 a slight design change was made to the flag, reverting to the 1944 design; the seal however, remained unaltered. From 2012 on the flag and the seal have remained the same. In 2015 the new governor will return the original Flag of Seven. Seven cross.png|First used in 1890; official 1904-1913 Seven cross 2.png|Minor design change, in use 1913-1944 Flag of Seven.png|New flag designed by William Trumbel, in use 1944-1956 Flag of Seven 1.png|Hybrid flag incorporating features of both Seven cross and Trumbel flag, in use 1956-1967 Flag of Seven 2.png|Revert to a stylized form of the Trumbel flag, in use 1967-2012 Flag of Seven.png|Return to use of original Trumbel flag, 2012-2015 Seven cross.png|Return t o the original flag of Seven, 2015 History Discovery and early years (1879-1912) The state was first discovered by Founding Father Ole Nielsen who in an attempt to explore the Northern Isles wrecked his ship on the Rock of Arnmod. With 6 of his crew he arrived on American Island and stayed there for a number of months until he was picked up by a ship. A patriotic Dane, he attempted to attract Scandinavians to the state, but it also proved popular with Orcadians, and the archipelago was informally named New Orkney. The immigrants started a flourishing fishing industry. In 1880 a Russian named Nikolai Sharapov founded the settlement of Sharapovsk (later renamed Novosevensk) on Philosopher's Island. One of the reasons that so few other settlers were willing to go to Seven at that time was Sharapov's aggression and desire of autonomy, styling himself Tsar of Seven. By 1903, however, Sharapov had died and former employees of the murdered president William McKinley moved from the United States to a small, unoccupied Lovian island, American Island. Their settlement was built on the southern side of the island. Originally, it was named McKinleyville, but it didn't take long before it was shortened to its present-day name, Kinley. Between 1892 and 1905 Seven was part of the Northern Territory, covering the area of modern Clymene as well as Seven, and was therefore ruled from Sofasi. The rule of the both the territorial and the federal government was ineffective in certain parts of Seven, however, which were essentially self-ruling. In 1904 the Lovian Congress proposed the foundation of states as the highest subdivision, which was accepted later that year. This was set in action January 1, 1905, and Clymene, Kings, Oceana, Seven, and Sylvania were created. The state was almost uninhabited, except from a few remaining colonists in Kinley, and a few Russians who Sharapov had succeeded in attracting to the state. The first elections were held in 1905, with Harrison Flint, the leader of Kinley, as the only candidate. All potential Novosevenskian candidates declined to stand. Both settlements remained heavily autarkic, and the Governor had virtually no control over Novosevensk. The 'Flintist' movement held sway in Seven for around ten years; their strategy was based around a large network of family and friends which dominated the small town, and with which other candidates could not hope to compete. Economic and political development (1912-1929) Until the 1913 elections, in the second term of Oliver Flint, no independent candidate was able to achieve more than 10%, but in 1913 opposition gathered behind Henri Rutherford, member of the newly formed Union Party, achieving 38%. This was due to new immigrants who were not part of the Flintist clique and participation of the Novosevenskians in the political process. In 1915, Rutherford finally won an election, remaining in office for two terms before retiring to give way to his successor Samuel Sawyer. By 1920, both towns had grown rapidly, and colonists swarmed out over the state. Kinley grew rapidly as American immigrants arrived, as did Novosevensk which had become a destination for emigres from the Russian Revolution. Lovians from other parts of the state also moved to Seven to work in the fishing industry. Sawyer was well-known for writing the Basic Law of Seven, which created a state council, consisting of two representatives from each of the four districts, as well as a representative of the King and another for the 'Count of Seven.' In the Great Depression, however, almost all of the formerly created settlements were abandoned, due to the recession that resulted from Lovia's close trade links with America. Due to the economic difficulties that succeeded the Governor took the unprecedented step of selling the northern islands to the King, in whose possesion they mostly remain. Certain areas however belong to the National Park authority or private owners who have repurchased their land. The rest is rented by tenant farmers at low cost. Since then, only American Island and Philosopher's Island have been inhabitated by sizable settlements. Recovery and return to stability (1930-1956) Seven took some time to recover from the Great Recession, as the market for their chief export, fish, dwindled dramatically. The recovery was overseen by Henri Burton, who governed for a record seven terms. Originally standing on a Unionist platform, by the end of his first term he had become alienated from the mainstream of the party who believed that clasical liberal policies were the way out of the recession. Burton by contrast promoted government intervention and social democratic policies, and in 1933 he was expelled from the party. He formed the Socialist Party, which was to become the longest-ruling party in Seven's history. Burton's policies were to a great extent reminiscent of those of the New Deal in America. He bought large quantities of land using state resources from bankrupt subsistence farmers, reëmploying them as workers on the farm. The farming system was modernised and made efficient, with use of machinery and better fertilisers. In the United States, the price of grain had risen due to Roosevelt's artificial scarcity policies, and as grain production rocketed in Seven, money came flooding into the state. He also opened new schools and started a number of road-building projects. By 1940, the government was the largest employer in the state. Burton enjoyed huge popularity and the older Unionist Party suffered. Immigrants poured into the newly successful state from the south, where recovery policies had not been as successful, in order to find employment. By 1936, however, Seven's population had swollen by 25% and unemployment began to rise. Tensions between the original imhabitants and the new, many of whom did not speak English as their native language, rose sharply, and Burton's popularity fell. In addition to this, a clamor arose from some farmers to buy back their land. Burton managed to survive to end of his seventh term, when he was defeated by perennial challenger William Trumbel of the Unionist Party. Trumbel did not reverse many of Burton's policies however, apart from capping immigration and selling a small proportion of government-owned land. After a single term, he retired, and was replaced by Kirtsen Blacksmith, a former Kinley mayor, who also lasted only a term, after proof emerged that he had embezzled money from the state government. In 1947, the Socialists delivered their second governor, and Seven's first ever female governor, Heather Tinley, a singer and actress. 21st century In recent years, the state has experienced strong economic growth. In the spring of 2010, a group of 100 Amish people from America settled near Kinley, in a self-proclaimed neighborhood called Amish Kinley, where they built their own houses without any permission from the authorities. Ethnic tension between the various communities of Seven has been an issue in recent years, and played some role in the Lovian Civil War. Groups in the village of Novosevensk have also demanded independence on occasion, most recently the Novosevensk independence movement, 2012. No mainstream political party supports the division of the state or independence for either the whole or a part of Seven. Demographics .]] There are approximately 28,000 inhabitants in Seven, counting the inhabitants of the small farms on the other islands than American Island as well as the Amish Kinley population. 50,3 percent is male, 49,7 percent is female. The vast majority of the population lives on Philosopher's Island or American Island, with two of the northern islands having no permanent residents and the other three only having small populations. Nationalities 86,8 percent of the population has Lovian citizenship, while the rest are foreign nationals, most commonly from the United States, but also from Europe, Mexico, South America, and other locations. Those with Lovian citizenship come from a variety of different backgrounds, of which American, Russian, and Dutch predominate. Religion Around 40 percent of the inhabitants stated that they were not related to any religion or spiritual movement. Of the 60 percent that stated otherwise, most were Christian. The largest Christian denominations are (in order of size) Russian Orthodoxy, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, and Amish, although there are some other very small groups as well (e.g. Mormons). There are also Islamic, Buddhist, and Jewish communities. Sport Seven has a long history in Sports, the most popular sport being Association football. It is home to several large Sporting Clubs in the Lovian Major Soccer League, including the Oaks of Kinley, Kinley Town being the main clubs in Kinley, and the Novosevensk club being Gordiye Vnuki Slavyan. It also has a state Rugby Team that occasionally participates in several major competitions in Lovia, the IWO and nearby countries. Geography Seven is a relatively undeveloped state, with many sites of natural beauty. The countless small forests on the islands are home for thousands and thousands of birds, as well as several endangered creatures. Philosopher's Island and American Island contain by far the most developed land in the state. The Lovian Dassie can be found in the state. Cities and towns Seven contains only two villages, Kinley, the capital, on American Island, and Novosevensk on Philosopher's Island. The other islands are uninhabited, except for some small farms and a few forestkeeper lodges. * Kinley, founded in 1903, is a village of around 10,000 inhabitants on the southern coast of American Island. It is one of the more progressive parts of the state, being the only area where CPL.nm gained a majority in the last state elections. Kinley's connections with the southern states, particularly Kings, have always been very strong. In 2012 it was formally split into two neighborhoods, although the informal division had existed for almost a century. ** Old Kinley, the oldest and most historical part of the town, and the seat of the governor. Places of interest include: ***The historic Seven Court House, now used as an office for the Governor and other government agencies, and renowned for its attractive appearance. ***The numerous small parks, which can be used for relaxation or sport. In particular, Remembrance Park is noteworthy. ***The friendly and small Mariners' Pub. ** Canterbury, a younger and more lively part of the city, shaped by the presence of Aquinas College. Places of interest include: ***The Strand, one of Seven's prettiest beaches. ***Aquinas College, Seven's only institute of higher education, linked with other colleges worldwide. ***Canterbury Synagogue, one of only two Lovian synagogues, serves the region's Jewish community. ** St Stephens * Novosevensk, a picturesque fishing village with a long history, and many inhabitants of Russian descent, and located on the southern coast of Philosopher's Island. With a population of over 8,000, it rivals Kinley in size, and has in the past been isolated economically and culturally from the rest of Lovia. More recently, however, steps have been taken to integrate the settlement into Seven and Lovia as a whole. Places of interest include: **Abraham Park, a wild and mountainous region to the north of the settlement. **The beautiful Church of St. Abraham, which as well as providing a place of worship for both locals and tourists, offers magnificent views over the village and the sea. **Mendeleyev School, where those interested can learn more about Russian language, literature, and culture. It also functions as a village hall. * Amish Kinley, an isolated, unique settlement inhabited by Amish immigrants from the USA. It's the first Local Religious Community in Lovia, a new type of place class among town and city. Islands Seven is Lovia's smallest state, consists of seven islands. The largest island is American Island, followed closely by Philosopher's Island. Areas of the islands Geographical regions Seven can be divided into two main geographic regions: the inner Flat Islands, which are significantly eroded than the geologically younger outer islands. All were by the same volcanic processes that formed the entire Lovian archipelago. Volcanic islands Adlibitan Island, Bird Island, American Island and Philosopher's Island are geologically younger than other islands and as such have experienced less erosion. This makes the islands relatively steep and mountainous, with the highest point of each the peak of an extinct volcano. However, erosion has lowered the peaks' height significantly. Northern Islands Adlibitan Island and Bird Island are the northernmost islands, both very rocky and inhospitable to agriculture. Bird Island in particularly has never been inhabited permanently, apart from the lighthouse keeper, and has National Park status. It has a short hiking trail extending from east to west. Adlibitan Island does not, partly because early in its history large numbers of its birds were hunted down and killed, and partly because strict state regulations require all NPs to be uninhabited. Adlibitan has a population of 31, according to recent census data, which are distributed along the coast, but despite this has no roads; all transport is by boat, especially as fishing is a major industry. If it is necessary to go inland, transport is by off-road vehicles such as quad bikes or walking. The highest point on Bird is the whimsically named Beak at 516 metres, and the highest point on Adlibitan is Christianenburg, named after the capital of Adlibita, at 296 metres. Southern Islands The Southern Islands are also the two largest, American Island and Philosopher's Island, and the most populous. The capital Kinley is located on American Island, and the slightly smaller Novosevensk on Philosopher's Island; the two settlements are connected by both road and rail thanks to the Nielsen Bridge which crosses the strait between the two islands. Philosopher's is the steepest and most hilly of the islands, but despite this settlement has developed due to the natural harbor of the Bay of Estonia, which provides a convenient location for the fishing industry. Because of the steepness of the land, little arable farming is possible, except in narrow strips close to the coast. Instead, most land is used for animal grazing and forest. The two highest peaks are Confucius Hill, the highest summit in Seven, (732 metres) and Arthur's Seat (560 metres), and the Rekachka river has carved out a steep valley between the two peaks. A trail also leads along the valley. Politically, Philosopher's is split into Callenborough District and Rybachie District, as well as the Novosevensk urban area. After Novosevensk, the next largest settlement is Rybachye in the east. American is much flatter and almost half the land is used for arable farming, mostly different types of grain, although some market gardening also exists in the south of the island. Much of the grain production is controlled by the Amish community, particularly in the Northern Cape District; forest and pastureland also cover some of the island. The highest peak is Mount McKinley (376 metres) with gentle slopes rising upwards towards it from the coast. A paved road extends all the way around the island. American is split into the four districts of Northern Cape, Greater Kinley, Csongor District and Douglas District, as well as the Kinley urban area which include both neighborhoods of Kinley, Old Kinley and Canterbury. Amish Kinley, due to its unique status, is not designated as an urban area, lying instead within the Northern Cape District. Flat Islands The Flat Islands, also known as the Central Islands, are older than the others, and as such have eroded more. As a result, the islands are relatively flat and have many wetland areas. For these reasons, the Flat Islands have never been inhabited as much as their southern counterparts, and land is not as productive. Bird Island is dominated by sheep pasture and some forest, while almost the whole of Love Island is forest. Libertan Island, the third, is protected by the NPS, and is uninhabited. Land use 42% of land is forested, of which about a third is protected by the NPS, and the rest is grown for logging purposes. 40% of the land is farmed, 25% for grazing and 15% for arable farming. 3% of land is urban, and the remainder is protected land. In total, counting both forested and non-forested areas, 26% of land is protected - around five-sixths of which consists of the Mellon Wetlands National Park and the Bird National Park. The remainder is protected by the Seven Government and consists mostly of the Abraham Park and some parts of the Adlibitan coastline, as well as the urban parks of Kinley. Economy .]] History Seven has always been of minor importance in the Lovian economy. The traditional exports are fish and wood, which are abundant. Up until 1900, subsistence farming and fishing dominated - neither Novosevensk nor any smaller settlements engaged in extensive trade with the southern states or with areas overseas. The founding of Kinley in 1903 represented a turning point in the history of Seven. The much larger population required a group of tradesmen to provide services, and the state began to export large amounts of grain to the southern states and to America. The economy grew and links with the isolationist Novosevenskians began to be built. Around 1930, however, Seven was severely affected by the Great Depression, due to its close links with the US, but within about five years the economy had rapidly recovered. This was due to it not being affected by President Roosevelt's attempt to cut grain production but still to benefit from increased prices. Mechanisation policies were put into place by the Socialist governor Henri Burton. Growth in the economy was also due to the occupation of Harbin by the Japanese, meaning that Novosevensk lost one of its key trading partners and for the first time began to export seriously to other areas of Seven. Seven remained relatively wealthy until the famine of 1956, which damaged its agriculture-dependent economy severely. Unlike other states such as Kings, Seven had not taken the precaution of balanced economy, still being extremely dependent on the primary sector. Its population plummeted as the land was no longer able to sustain large numbers of people. Recovery from that time has been slow and cautious, with immigration tightly controlled to prevent rapid population growth. A few attempts have been made to diversify the economy, but industry was not a realistic possibility for expansion due to existing industrial centres in Kings, Sylvania and Clymene. Tourism has been growing slowly, though Seven remains a little-known destination. With the foundation of Aquinas College, students have poured into the state and with them money which has helped revitalise the economy. There were plans to pump more money in Kinley by reinstalling shops into the area, but these plans never came to fruition. There are two banks, an oil station, an agency of InterBus and a number of shops in Kinley, as well as an institute of higher education and a railway station. Kinley has an harbor as well, where all the fish is frozen and transported to either the United States, or the rest of Lovia. Kinley also has an 5 story building containing offices, including the headquarters of two political parties, making it the highest free standing building in the state. Education .]] There are three elementary schools in Seven, the Henri Burton Elementary in Kinley,the Mendeleyev School in Novosevensk and Foxton Primary School in Canterbury. Until 2012, students had to go to schools in other states of Lovia for secondary education, but Governor Breyev recently announced the opening of a secondary school in Kinley in September, the Bishop Thumbsup Secondary School. There are not that many children however, because Seven's inhabiants are older than the national average. Since 2015 Seven is using the same curriculums of the Education in Clymene. In Seven there is also a school for higher education, Aquinas College that provides courses for students from all over Lovia. Infrastructure and transportation Roads Seven is famous in Lovia for having a relatively undeveloped road system. There is a road between Kinley and Novosevensk that also links with other hamlets on the way (known as Highway 6), but aside from the streets in Kinley and Novosevensk, other roads are generally of poor quality if they exist at all. The state government of Seven is working on a program to create new roads, and introduce more ecologically friendly transit. The Mobility 2020 project will have many partners that can work with the state. The state government also created a public bus system in 2015. Railways There is a railway which provides a service between Kinley and Novosevensk, known as the Seven State Railway. Parts of it include the oldest tracks built in Lovia. There used to be an industrial train track between the harbor and the Old Fish Factory, just outside of Kinley. This track is now gone, but in the harbor there are still signs of the track visible. Harbors The two hotels outside American Island have a private harbor, as well as Bird Island. It's possible to go to the other islands by mooring at the multiple stages that are built at each island. Kinley itself has an harbor for fishing boats and the ferry. Gallery Image:Shiny Cowbird.jpg|''Shiny cowbird'' on Bird Island Image:Dolphins.jpg|Dolphins around Bird Island Image:Sunset Libertan Island.jpg|Sunset above Libertan Island Image:Mellon Wetlands.jpg|The Mellon Wetlands on Libertan Island Image:Masked_owl.jpg|Australian Masked Owl Image:Alectoris Rufa.jpg|Red-legged Partridge References Category:Seven Category:Nature